Playing with the red ball in the Ranji Trophy helped: Washington reveals the secret to their success against New Zealand

Pune, Washington Sundar's stunning resurgence as a Test-class cricketer has one recent catalytic force – his outstanding play for Tamil Nadu against New Delhi.

His 152 while batting at No. 3 and a six-wicket match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium earlier this month were enough to convince head coach Gautam Gambhir, a long-time Washington supporter, to expedite the all-rounder to play India in the 11th for the second test.

Washington confirmed his decision with a score of seven for 59 against New Zealand, that too in his first Test since March 2021, here on Thursday.

The man from Tamil Nadu duly acknowledged the importance of playing red-ball games at the national level.

“It was a great opportunity for me to play the Tamil Nadu-Delhi match as it is good to play red-ball every now and then and maintain the rhythm in red-ball – both with the bat and the ball – and to be consistent about it,” Washington told the media during his post-day press briefing.

The 25-year-old highlighted how helpful it was for him to be able to bowl a lot of overs in this Ranji game.

“The fact that I was able to bowl a lot of overs in that game also definitely helped. “I’m really grateful for this day, I don’t think I’ll ever forget this very special day,” he said.

Washington said his intention is to improve his overall skillset without developing into a specific all-around style.

“My perception, I shouldn't think about it too much, I should just focus on what I can do as a person, as a cricketer, to keep getting better and finding the best version of myself,” he said.

For someone who had 65 wickets in 31 first-class matches over eight years since his debut, Washington was rarely in contention for Test selection, but that has now changed.

“It was always a self-talk for me because I always wanted to find out things that would help me get better and develop as a cricketer.

“This is the only thing I have focused on in the last few years and I am really grateful to God that I was able to experience such situations,” he added.

Washington, whose 7 for 59 replicated senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's best figures in an innings in Tests, was hoping to play many more games alongside his Tamil

Nadu teammate as well as Ravindra Jadeja.

“We communicated a lot and they brought in a lot of qualities, skills and experiences. That really helps for someone who is playing,” he said.

“It definitely helped me today and it's special to play in the game where both of them are involved. I hope we can play many more games together,” he said.

Washington also praised Ashwin for sharing the nuances of their collective craft.

“It's pretty rare, but he's very nice, especially from this perspective. Not just me, but no matter who asks him for bowling ideas or other technical questions, he is always there to help everyone,” he added.

This was reflected throughout the day. Ashwin broke through the New Zealand top order before Washington feasted on the middle and lower middle order as India bundled out the Kiwis for 259 in their first try.

“The ball became very soft. “So we kind of had to put more speed and more body into the ball, which was something me and Ash talked about all the time,” Washington revealed.

“Ashwin said he did that himself in the spell after lunch and that’s how he got Conway out. We talked about it and were happy I could do it,” he added.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.